Narduzzi on Canada very, very bad look
There are bad looks … Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi electing to kick a field goal from the Penn State 1- yard line with his team down a touchdown late on the road last season against its biggest rival, which was a 17- point favorite. His players, who played their fannies off at Beaver Stadium all afternoon, deserved so much better from their coach.
There are really bad looks …
Narduzzi going out of his way to blast one of his former assistant coaches, Matt Canada, for Canada having the nerve to take a better job in a better program for more money after the 2016 season. Canada didn’t deserve that from his former coach.
And there are potentially explosive looks …
Narduzzi bumping into Canada on the practice field or in the lunch room at the South Side facility that Pitt shares with the Steelers. Canada was hired as Steelers quarterbacks coach in January and has been receiving rave reviews from Mike Tomlin, Randy Fichtner and Ben Roethlisberger. The two are certain to meet at some point.
Wouldn’t you love to see that?
Narduzzi made his absurd comments about Canada — “I won’t even mention his name,” Narduzzi said with a flip of his hand — at a coaching clinic in Portland in March 2019. I have no idea how or why the video surfaced Monday. I just know it made Narduzzi look awfully petty.
Apparently, Narduzzi felt betrayed by Canada because Canada left Pitt after just one season for a three- year, $ 4.5 million contract. But any assistant would have made the jump to LSU — and not just for the money. It didn’t work out there for Canada, who was fired after one season after being a bad fit with coach Ed Orgeron. But Canada can’t possibly have regrets. LSU is a strong enough program that it won the national championship last season. Pitt hasn’t lost fewer than three games in any season since 1981.
In the video, Narduzzi preached career patience to his audience of young coaches. He said he would have delivered Canada a head coaching job if Canada had stayed another season at Pitt. Clearly, Narduzzi has a big ego for a guy whose best
record in five seasons at Pitt is 8- 5. It’s as if he thinks he is some sort of Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney.
“I said, ‘ Listen, you’re stupid to go. You’re starting your whole career over again.’” Narduzzi said he told Canada. “He’s been in three jobs in three years. No patience. So have patience in the profession.”
But Narduzzi didn’t stop there.
“I don’t even think he was worth a million,” he said of Canada in the video. “He wasn’t even that good.” Not that good?
Are you kidding?
Pitt averaged 40.9 points per game in 2016, most in program history. It put up 42 against Penn State, 45 against Virginia, 43 against Clemson, 56 against Duke and 76 against Syracuse. I remember writing, in so many words, “Pitt’s offense is the best and most exciting in town at a time the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger throwing to Antonio Brown and handing off to Le’Veon Bell.” Pitt would have finished with a much better record than 8- 5 if Narduzzi’s defense hadn’t been so awful and given up 45 points to Oklahoma State, 37 to North Carolina, 39 to Virginia Tech and 51 to Miami.
So which coach wasn’t that good?
Narduzzi met the local media Tuesday and was asked about the video. His response was as predictable
as it was nonsensical.
“I love Matt Canada,” Narduzzi said. “He’s an unbelievable offensive coordinator. I’m happy he’s wearing the black and gold next door. The guy did a tremendous job as our offensive coordinator. I didn’t want to lose him.”
As for that nonsensical part?
“You know, everyone wants to twist your words around. … If Matt took that the wrong way, I sure hope he didn’t.
Two questions:
Who twisted Narduzzi’s words?
How was Canada supposed to take it?